Portable blower

ABSTRACT

A blowing apparatus includes a blower having a housing with an inlet and an outlet, a fan mounted in the housing and capable of producing a stream of air through the outlet, a tube connected to the outlet and operable to direct the stream of air, and a mounting means for mounting the housing on a multi-directional mount capable of providing the housing and, in turn, the blower and tube with at least two rotational degrees of freedom. In one exemplary embodiment, the mounting means includes a plate having a threaded hole structurally associated with or attached to the housing. The multi-directional mount is a pan head mounting head. A stand, such as a tripod, may be used to support the multi-directional mount upon which the blower is mounted.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] This invention relates to blowers and, more particularly, to blowers mounted on portable stands including yard or leaf blowers mounted on portable stands.

[0003] 2. Discussion of the Background Art

[0004] Concrete cutting and other types of dust producing operations require machine operators to wear filer masks. It is desirable to have a more effective technique to alleviate the problem of dust being inhaled by the machine operators. It is desirable to have an apparatus that can be used both outdoors and indoors to alleviate the dust problem. It is desirable that such an apparatus be portable and easily moved around a construction site. The present invention provides a portable blower apparatus which can produce and direct a stream of air at the cutting site and blow away a great deal of the dust being produced. One embodiment of the invention includes using a leaf blower for producing the stream of air.

[0005] Leaf and yard blowers and other types of blowers have been used for various types of air blowing functions. Blowers have been used for leaf blowing, ventilation, blowing away dust, and leaf blowers have been adapted for pitching baseballs see U.S. Pat. No. 5,133,330. These blowers produce a stream of air used for blowing leaves and dirt and the like. The leaf blower is a particularly portable machine and typically is electrically or gasoline powered.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] A blowing apparatus includes a blower having a housing with an inlet and an outlet, a fan mounted in the housing and capable of producing a stream of air through the outlet, a tube connected to the outlet and operable to direct the stream of air, and a mounting means for mounting the housing on a multi-directional mount capable of providing the housing and, in turn, the blower and tube with at least two rotational degrees of freedom. In one exemplary embodiment, the blower is a leaf blower and the mounting means includes a plate having a threaded hole structurally associated with or attached to the housing. The threaded hole may be in a plug that is embedded in the bottom of the housing or the hole may just be formed in the bottom of the housing. The multi-directional mount is a pan head mounting head. A stand, such as a tripod, may be used to support the multi-directional mount upon which the blower is mounted.

[0007] The present invention provides an inexpensive and easily portable blower particularly useful for blowing dust. This helps alleviate the problem of dust being inhaled by machine operators cutting concrete for example. The blower of the present invention can be used both outdoors and indoors to alleviate the dust problem. The present invention provides a portable blower apparatus which can produce and direct a stream of air at the cutting site and blow away a great deal of the dust being produced.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] The foregoing aspects and other features of the invention are explained in the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings where:

[0009]FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustration of an exemplary embodiment of a blower apparatus of the present invention.

[0010]FIG. 2 is a perspective partially exploded view illustration of an exemplary mount attached to the bottom of a blower illustrated in FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Illustrated in FIG. 1 is an exemplary embodiment of an air blower apparatus 10 of the present invention having a blower 14 and a tube 18 operably attached to the blower for directing a high speed stream of air 20 produced by the blower. The blower 14 includes a housing 22 with an air inlet 26 and an air outlet 28 to which the tube 18 is operably connected. An electric motor, not illustrated in the drawings, is located inside the housing 22 as is a centrifugal fan also not illustrated in the drawings. The motor powers the fan and the present invention includes motors outside the housing 22 and gasoline powered engines or motors as well as electrically powered motors. The blower 14 produces an air flow which is drawn into the inlet 26 and exits through the outlet 28 into the tube 18. In the exemplary embodiment, the blower is a leaf blower.

[0012] Referring further to FIG. 2, a mounting means 30 is used for mounting the housing on a multi-directional mount 32 capable of providing the housing 22 and, in turn, the blower 14 and tube 18 with at least two rotational degrees of freedom. In the exemplary embodiment illustrated herein, the mounting means includes an element having a threaded hole 38 and the element is structurally associated with the housing 22. The term structurally associated with the housing 22 is used in this patent to mean that the element is structurally supportive of the housing and may be separate from the housing, part of the housing, or embedded in the housing. The element is illustrated as a mounting plate 36, containing the threaded hole 38, attached to a bottom 40 of the housing 22. The plate 36 is a reinforced element used to attach and support the blower on the multi-directional mount 32. Alternatively, the threaded hole may be located in the bottom of the housing in a nut or some other structural element embedded in the bottom of the housing. The threaded hole may be in a plug that is embedded in the bottom of the housing or the hole may just be formed in the bottom of the housing. In the exemplary embodiment illustrated herein, the multi-directional mount 32 is a pan head mounting head 42. Pan head mounting heads are well known in the field of photography (exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 5,078,355).

[0013] The pan head mounting head 42 has at least two perpendicular pivotal axis about which a mounting screw 48 can be pivoted to provide the mounting screw with at least two rotational degrees of freedom. The exemplary embodiment of the invention includes a stand 44, illustrated herein as a tripod 46, upon which the multi-directional mount 32 is mounted. The mounting screw 48 is threaded into the threaded hole 38 of the plate 36 which is illustrative of the element structurally associated with the housing 22. The threaded hole 38 may be formed directly in or be integral with the housing 22 or may be in a plug made of metal or some other hard material inserted in a hole in and fixedly joined to the housing. An apparatus 10 wherein the element is a plate having the threaded hole and attached to the housing.

[0014] While there have been described herein what are considered to be preferred and exemplary embodiments of the present invention, other modifications of the invention shall be apparent to those skilled in the art from the teachings herein and, it is therefore, desired to be secured in the appended claims all such modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

[0015] Accordingly, what is desired to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States is the invention as defined and differentiated in the following claims: 

What is claimed is:
 1. A blowing apparatus comprising; a high volume air blower capable of delivering a continuous stream of air, said blower having a housing with an inlet and an outlet, a tube connected to said outlet and operable to direct the stream of air, and a mounting means for mounting said housing on a multi-directional mount capable of providing the housing with at least two rotational degrees of freedom.
 2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said mounting means includes an element having a threaded hole and said element is structurally associated with said housing.
 3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein said element includes a plate having said threaded hole.
 4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein said housing contains said threaded hole.
 5. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a stand upon which said multi-directional mount is mounted.
 6. An apparatus as claimed in claim 5 wherein said mounting means includes an element having a threaded hole and said element is structurally associated with said housing.
 7. An apparatus as claimed in claim 6 wherein said element is a plate containing said threaded hole and attached to said housing.
 8. An apparatus as claimed in claim 6 wherein said element includes a plate attached to said housing.
 9. An apparatus as claimed in claim 5 wherein said multi-directional mount is a pan head mounting head.
 10. An apparatus as claimed in claim 9 wherein said pan head mounting head includes a mounting screw threaded into a threaded hole in an element structurally associated with said housing.
 11. An apparatus as claimed in claim 10 wherein said element is a plate having said threaded hole and attached to said housing.
 12. An apparatus as claimed in claim 10 wherein said threaded hole is located in said housing.
 13. An apparatus as claimed in claim 9 wherein said stand is a tripod.
 14. An apparatus as claimed in claim 13 wherein said pan head mounting head includes a mounting screw threaded into a threaded hole in an element structurally associated with said housing.
 15. An apparatus as claimed in claim 14 wherein said element is a plate having said threaded hole and attached to said housing.
 16. An apparatus as claimed in claim 14 wherein said element is a bottom of said housing and threaded hole is located in said bottom of said housing.
 17. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said blower is a leaf blower and said mounting means includes an element having a threaded hole and said element is structurally associated with said housing.
 18. An apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein said element includes a plate having said threaded hole.
 19. An apparatus as claimed in claim 18 further comprising a stand upon which said multi-directional mount is mounted.
 20. An apparatus as claimed in claim 19 wherein said multi-directional mount is a pan head mounting head.
 21. An apparatus as claimed in claim 20 wherein said pan head mounting head includes a mounting screw threaded into a threaded hole in an element structurally associated with said housing.
 22. An apparatus as claimed in claim 19 wherein said stand is a tripod.
 23. An apparatus as claimed in claim 22 wherein said pan head mounting head includes a mounting screw threaded into a threaded hole in an element structurally associated with said housing.
 24. An apparatus as claimed in claim 23 wherein said element is a plate having said threaded hole and attached to said housing.
 25. An apparatus as claimed in claim 23 wherein said element is a bottom of said housing and said threaded hole is located in said bottom of said housing. 